NEWTOWN -- A Newtown eighth-grader who correctly answered a "Jeopardy!" question, but was counted out for misspelling his response says he was cheated.

Thomas Hurley III correctly answered the Final Jeopardy question about the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln. But Hurley spelled it "emanciptation" and was ruled out by host Alex Trebec.

He bet $3,000 of his $9,600 in winnings and lost to a rival who amassed $66,000.

The 12-year-old boy tells The News-Times of Danbury (http://bit.ly/13KTg7D) that he was cheated and was pretty upset.

Producers of Jeopardy! said in an email that the show would penalize other players if it gives credit to a contestant's incorrect response.

Hundreds of protesters vented their anger at the game show on its Facebook page.

The Kids Jeopardy! program was filmed in February and was broadcast last week.